A food truck in the parking lot of St. Andrew Lutheran Church, Ridgefield, Conn., is just one more creative and effective way to distribute food to the growing list of hungry—one in seven Americans.


Food pantries strained A


1 in 7 Americans rely on hunger program help By Wendy Healy


few containers of yogurt, a box of milk, a bunch of bananas, a bag of carrots, a potato or two. Te food many of us take for granted, especially during this


month of Tanksgiving feasting, oſten makes a big differ- ence in feeding a family in need for a week.


Participants of the Connecticut Food Bank’s mobile program line up at


St. Andrew Lutheran Church in Ridgefield, Conn., once a month to receive a few bags of food to last until their next pantry visit. Te outreach truck is different because it not only stops in the com-


munity but includes fresh produce and meat, items not always available at pantries. Frozen fish and ground chicken are offered, along with pet food and treats, and used clothing. People may come into the church to wait, especially in the cold and rain,


but few do. Tey don’t want to lose their place in line. Hunger exists even in affluent Ridgefield, a commuter New York City suburb with a median household income of more than $110,000. A recent


12 www.thelutheran.org


Hunger in America study showed that 46 million people—one in seven—rely on food programs. (See page 9) “We were thrilled to be asked to


do it,” said Carla Meier, who serves the congregation along with her husband, Gaylon Barker. Te deci- sion to let the truck use the parking lot was easy. Members were already donating food and had built a new sanctuary and parking lot with community outreach in mind. With clients filling all of the church’s 53 parking spaces and others walking over with carts and wagons, it was obvious to Meier and Barker that the need is growing. Tony Phillips of the Department


of Social Services in Ridgefield, who recruited St. Andrew as the food distribution site earlier this year, said the need has tripled in the past few years. He estimates that between 100 to 120 people


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